Page 30 of The Talk Around Town

“Put your legs down, you can touch bottom here. The water should only come up to your underarms. Stay here and hold on to the post.” He motioned to the pylon beside them. “I’ll be right back.”

Emma put one hand on the post, keeping one on his shoulder as shegingerly slid off his hips. She grimaced as mud squelched between her toes and over her foot.

Yuck.She hoped there weren’t any critters with claws resting around here. It was almost enough for her to grab hold of Gabe again and demand he carry her out, despite the state of her swimsuit.

With incredible self-control, Emma placed her other foot beside the first. It was okay. He was leaving her, but she could still breathe.

“Are you all right there for a minute?”

Emma nodded and sent him a tentative smile, one arm wrapped protectively in front of her, the other clinging to the post.

Gabe turned and waded the rest of the way out of the water, his incredible physique appearing bit by bit with each step he took toward land. Water sluiced down his shoulders, over defined back and arm muscles, down over his lean hips. His shorts drenched and moulded to his delicious butt.

Emma found herself wishing his shorts would slip and reveal that ass as he walked.

“Are you all right? Heck, Emma! You scared me half to death when you pushed Ryan away.” Darby’s worried voice brought Emma around to face her. She shrugged a shoulder.

“It’s no big deal. I’m okay.”

Darby’s eyes narrowed and jumped from Emma to Gabe’s retreating back. “Why is he leaving you here? What’s going on?”

“Shh!” Emma brought her finger to her lips. “Gabe’s getting me a towel or something. My suit’s see-through.”

Darby’s eyes widened in shock, then a huge, wicked grin blazed over her mouth. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Let me see!” Darby grabbed Emma’s arm before she could react, pulling it away from her body. Darby’s eyes flew to Emma’s. “And Gabe saw this? Told you?”

Emma nodded, embarrassed beyond comprehension.

Darby slapped her hand over her mouth to stop her laughter from alerting everyone within earshot that something was up. Her shoulders shook with the effort of keeping it all in.

“This is just too good. Do you have any idea just how see-through that thing is? And there you were, hanging on to my brother like your life depended on it. I’m so impressed. I can’t believe he didn’t keep hold of you and carry you off to his ute.”

Emma buried her face in both hands. “How am I going to face him now? He’s seen it all.”

Darby’s chuckles faded as she got herself under control. “No, not all. Just down to your navel. The water’s too dark past there.”

Emma groaned and laid her head against the pylon and shivered. She never wanted to show her face in public again. Maybe it was too dark under the jetty like she was. What about out in the sun? She’d been sitting higher in the water, her legs wrapped tight around him. From his reaction she was certain he’d seen absolutely everything.

The last couple of weeks had been one gaffe after another. These people must think her the biggest twit, or completely insane.

“Here he is, the big hero.”

Darby’s teasing made it even harder to look at Gabe, knowing what he’d seen. She may as well just strip and walk out naked. It would save the hassle.

“Very funny, Darb. Why don’t you make yourself useful and find her some clothes?”

“Can’t. Don’t have any. But I am getting out of here. It’s too damned cold.”

Gabe held a huge beach towel high above the waterline, standing a few feet in front of her. “Come this way, and I’ll wrap this around you before it’s obvious what’s wrong.”

Emma dropped her hands from her face, expecting to see amusement on his face. Instead, the open awareness on his face caught her off guard. She blinked and it was gone, replaced with a studied passivity that threw her.

Had she really seen interest on his face? Desire?

It had disappeared so fast she couldn’t be sure. She threw him a grateful smile and moved toward him, holding her arms crossed over her chest. Gabe moved backward with her, keeping an eye on the waterline, stopping her a few yards from the shore. He draped the towel around her shoulders and held the ends up as she continued walking ashore.

The warm outline of his hand imprinted on her mid-back as they walked toward where he’d parked his ute. She could feel the line of every finger, down to the curve of the palm of his hand. Its heat outstripped that of the late-afternoon sun trying to warm them.

No one took much notice as they reached his truck, the towel reaching almost to her knees and doing a wonderful job of hiding her in its massive folds.

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